I survived my second trade show! I was in the Spotted Plus area - the graduated "new talent" area, which was a step up from the one in September. Some lovely new stockists, and some exciting potential future stockists, which I shall keep you posted of. Phone cases and notebooks were particularly popular, and this time I don't need to carve hundreds of bamboo pens afterwards, which is a mixed blessing! I did think I was never going to get out of the car park alive when it came to pack down, but quite a lot of junk food helped soothe the pain... Altogether, I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband Neil, yielding a spirit level like a boss.
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I'm meant to be wrapping things up both literally and figuratively, to get home for Christmas, but couldn't resist the ice that has settled on my car. I love a good texture at the best of times! Not so much the five minutes of frozen hands getting into the jolly thing!
Hohum, Happy Christmas you beauties. Following up the Christmas invites, which hopefully will do just the job, Hope City also wanted some welcome cards - I gladly obliged! To counter the coldness of winter, I used some of my summery photography. I wasn't sure if people really use QR codes still or not, but thought it wouldn't hurt! It might even show that churches can be capable of living in the same world as everyone else...
So I've finally managed to catch my breath! Top Drawer was fab: a flurry of on the spot sales, some lovely new stockists (including Dulwich Picture Gallery, To Be Established, BritishDesignBritishMade, and Bond Street Studios) and some very exciting press interest (ahem Ideal Home Magazine and the Guardian) and orders keep trickling in! Thanks so much for all your lovely words of encouragement! Now, anyone fancy helping me carve 102 bamboo pens..? The other Spotted exhibitors were just lovely, I recommend checking them out!
As a treat for staring at the summer through a train window, I treated myself to a new camera and went out to capture loads of summer textures. Enjoy, I did.
I'm not quite sure how it's happened, but somehow, moo have decided that I have lovely handwriting?! So if you've received any material on their latest marketing campaign for notecards, or a hand written press pack, chances are that I've jotted that down for you! Sometimes it seems our world is more digital than anything else, and the personal touch can seem like a gimmick. Time barely allows for such niceties as a handwritten note… But it should. Many birthdays have been anticipated by deciphering envelopes, working out where they’ve come from before ripping them to pieces! Or more importantly, who they’ve come from. Handwriting is one of those instantly personal things, and almost a part of someone’s personality.
It can also be immensely beautiful and a channel for enormous creativity. As a multi-faceted designer, (or a creative jack of all trades if you’re being less pretentious!) I’m as often behind a camera lens as designing in front of a computer screen. But one aspect that runs through my design work (I hope!) is a hand drawn, natural element. Sure, things get tweaked digitally, but more often than not, it’s started as a scribble on a sheet of paper. In a full circle-type gesture, these natural elements are more often not made with natural elements. My bamboo pens started by hacking at some twigs in my parent’s garden (which had to be pruned, honest!) and a spot of whittling with a junior hacksaw and a massive knife. Coupled with some drawing ink and some sumptuous paper, and you’ve got a recipe for visual beauty! They take a few uses to bed in, and as a natural product, they each have their own quirks and character, which is half the fun. I often use them in my illustration work, but they are equally as lovely for calligraphy and handwriting. There are many people more talented at lettering work than me, but not many writing tools that you can personalise as easily. So take a break, write a letter. Keep scribbling. A charity in Hereford City wanted to document building works of a new premises. As no stranger to building sites from my days of working with a Property Surveyor, I got involved and just a little dusty!
Sometimes you can know too much… For example, from my various food shoots and food photography workshops, I know that this "milk" is probably PVA glue. Not so delicious. Sorry porridge peeps! Super high quality phone pic...
One of the most serene commercial photoshoots I have done so far! Walford Timber, who unsurprisingly specialise in beautiful timber garden products, wanted me to shoot their new ranges for their catalogue. So for a beautiful sunny day, I wandered around the most picturesque garden, taking photographs of sheds and arches and planting boxes. If only all my shoots were so relaxed! Check out that view...
A high end catering and marquee company wanted some publicity shots of their newly designed on-table buffet system being used at a wedding, along with some general publicity shots. Very ingenious! No job is too big or small, please get in touch if you would like some photography celebrating your best bits!
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If my blog links take you to external websites, I may be receiving a commission for sharing these products. However, please know that all my reviews are my own thoughts and a true representation, and I would never share anything that I wouldn't or haven't personally used or enjoyed.
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